Surprised nobody has commented...that was a hell of a good football game. Was kind of hoping MSU would win because that had a chance to improve Purdue's bowl prospects...but that was one of those games where it's really too bad that one of them had to lose. On the other hand...an epic defensive struggle it was not!
Stu, I did not watch the game, but it must have been an exciting game. I did pick Wisky to win in the pickem contest, but only 1 confidence point. However it did seem a bit unusual for MSU playing in a title game. What do you think are Wisconsins chances of winning over Oregon?
I'm tempted to say slim and none...but who knows? Haven't seen Oregon that much but they looked really fast. Wiscy's team is a mystery to me...their defense and tackling looked suspect, and Cousins was just shredding them for awhile. Yet they picked up stops at crunch time.
Good back and forth game. MSU had 2 critical mistakes in the final few minutes giving up the 4th and 16 pass and then of course the touching the actor penalty on the punt. What galls MSU fans is that they're losing may well put M in a BCS bowl. Doesn't seem right.
That was a great game to watch although I think Gus Johnson blew out my left eardrum; I was trying to find a clip when Johnson yelled, "HE KNOCKED HIS DO- RAG OFF!" after Borland's hit on a Sparty wide out caused both the helemt and do-rag to fly off the receiver's head. Both Anne and I were cracking up for about 5 minutes after that one. Gus is over the top but he could call a snail race and make it sound exciting.
I was at the game. I took my 11 yr. old grandson, who is a MSU fan. He had told his mom (my daughter) that he didn't need anything for Christmas, but he sure would like to go to the game. Because his dad was working his mom said she could take him, or he could ask his Papa to go. He said something like, No offense, mom, but I'd like to go with Papa. That was my Christmas present. It was a great game in a great venue. The place was electric the entire game with constant fan noise from both sides. It did not matter to me that I didn't care who won. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and gained a new respect for the loyalty and exhuberance of the fans of teams other than mine. The fact that the game was exciting to the very end only added to my enjoyment. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Other highlights involved the Fox crowd shots which Fox seems to do a lot more than the other networks. After the first Wisconsin TD, the camera panned quickly to a young Badger student decked out in his "F*** Em Bucky" T-Shirt. My guess is that his parents were watching the game on TV and were jumping up and down that their little son was on national TV and then, after reading what his t-shirt said, immediately decided to turn off the spigot for any further funding for their son's education and weekend adventures. The second was after a Monty Ball TD in the third quarter when the TV showed, for about 3 seconds, a shot of an older fan holding a sign that read, " Ball Harder". You would think a network that sponsors the Simpsons would hire cameramen and producers who knew something about junior high humor. But all of this gave me the opportunity to tell my wife about how Tom and Cindy's used a bowl game experience with drunken young Badger faithful as a teaching opportunity for better behavior at public events.
:!: It was a fantastic game as were so many Big10 games this season. My only concern with all of this, is a system that allows teams that don't even play in their conference championship game to leapfrog into BCS games ahead of teams which won their division and played in the game...
Even though MSU is my least favorite of M's traditional rivals, can't disagree with MSU fans being upset: they beat us, won the division, and were ranked ahread of us at the end of the regular season, but lost to the conference champion in a nailbiter even though they outplayed Wisconsin. The end result is that they ended up being penalized for participating in the conference championship game. If you compare this with college basketball, end of season conference tournaments usually do not play a big role in determining how teams are seeded in the NCAA tourney. The bowl system and the rankings still remain a beauty contest where factors like marketability and name predominate over merit
Well, one good thing about the BCS is that it gives everyone the opportunity to argue why a team should or should not be selected. I remember several SB flame wars several years ago about ND's selection. Hopefully, sometime in the future, I'll get the opportunity to enjoy reading your posts on that topic.
Orange Bowl is Clemson vs WVU neither ranked in the top 10. Used to be that the big bowls almost always had top 10 matchups....not any more.
I may have to start watching figure skating. At least I will KNOW to expect to feel cheated at the end. Plus, my fiancee will think I'm sensitive. Well, one outta two I guess.
I only saw the last quarter, but it was really exciting. I don't think Wisconsin matches up well with Oregon though.
Even at the bottom end. Purdue finishes ahead of Ohio State, NW, and Illinois and yet we get the Little Caesars Bowl....while those teams get to play A&M, UCLA, and Florida. I guess technically we did get "picked" before Illinois because I don't think that there is a league tie in with the bowl they are playing UCLA in. ( Edit...I just couldn't make myself type "Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl".) Don't mean to diss the Broncos...it's just one of those games where you don't prove much by winning...and good MAC schools have a habit of biting us in the butt.
Oh my the Fight Hunger Bowl is 6-7 UCLA vs 6-6 Illinois....will anybody outside the immediate families attend?
Went to the pizza bowl a few years ago when Purdue and CMU with LeFevour lit up the scoreboard. Very exciting entertaining game. Everyone had the same idea I did about parking for the game. Got stuck in the Greektown Casino parking structure for almost an hour after the game.
No....it most definitely was not and lack of defense is the sore spot for the Big Ten right now. Except for the impending shut-out of the offensively inept Florida by the Buckeyes I think you will see that poor defense will undo the Big 10 in the bowl season much like last year.